For the Child Who Knocks Something Over

Four lines you can say out loud tonight. Word for word. Free to save.

What to say

1. The spilled water is not the end of cleanup. We finish it in this order.

2. One mess turning into two is the worst feeling in a cleanup.

3. Towel first, then the legos off the wet floor, then the mop.

4. You hold the towel and I hold the mop. You say when the floor is dry.

When to use it

This is for the moment it actually goes wrong — not the calm version you rehearse in the car. Pick one line. Say it once. Then stop talking and wait three seconds. If they push back, repeat the same line, not a new one. Say the same thing for five nights before you decide it doesn't work.